im not saying that no items should have a price but most people dont say hmm that 7k car is 500 off today i think i will take it etc. also its hard to have a bidding war when its done through pms. and finally why should the seller lose out. maybe he posts an item at 75 but had he not put a price someone would have offered 100. and if the buyer would offer 50 he can just say im looking for 75.
And that's another good point - but its just the opposite.
Why should the buyer get ripped off just bec he may not know the going rate/value of the item? If the seller has a price in mind, he should state it openly instead of catching a big clueless fish and charging more than he ever expected to even get for it.
Obviously it would be great for the seller but many people considere that non-ethical, which I believe Dan is one of those and you can therefore make that into another reason for the rule.
Its like the American tourist shopping in Israel and the guy makes up a price based on how rich you look. Its great for him and there's definitely no way around it, but image every market place was like that. Would you like it?